Project
By Constance Athekame
Abuja, Sept. 3, 2026 (NAN) The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) says it is set to begin the second phase of the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), focusing on renewable energy investments in Northern Nigeria.
The Managing Director of NDPHC, Ms Jennifer Adighije, said this in statement by Mr Nazo Agim, Head, Corporate Communication and External Relations in Abuja on Thursday.
Adighije spoke on Wednesday during an oversight visit to the company’s headquarters by the House of Representatives Committee on Power, chaired by Rep. Victor Nwokolo.
She said NIPP Phase 2 would diversify the country’s generation mix by harnessing the renewable energy potential in Northern Nigeria, particularly solar and other renewable resources.
She said the company was considering off-grid solutions, mini-hydropower projects and other solar interventions as part of its strategy to address power supply gaps across the country.
“We are currently in NIPP Phase 1, which is power generation from fossil fuels, from gas. NIPP Phase 2, in line with the Energy Transition Plan, is where we are diversifying our generation mix and preparing to transition to renewable energy,” she said.
Adighije said NDPHC currently contributed about 4,000 megawatts (MW) to Nigeria’s installed generation capacity of approximately 12,000 MW, representing about 30 per cent.
She said the company had built 10 power plants under NIPP Phase 1, seven of which were commercially operational, while two were under construction and one was undergoing upgrades.
The NDPHC boss said the company was also intervening in transmission and distribution, adding that it had completed 120 transmission projects, comprising 60 330-kilovolt (kV) substations, 31 132-kV substations and 37 expansion projects.
She said the projects had a combined installed transformer capacity of more than 10,000 megavolt-amperes (MVA).
Adighije said NDPHC had also undertaken hundreds of distribution projects, including the installation of distribution transformers and 33-kV and 11-kV lines across the country.
Speaking on the achievements of her administration, she said NDPHC had recovered 110 abandoned containers and 216 packages within its first 100 days, saving the company more than N30 billion.
She also listed debt recovery, digitalisation, improved procurement practices, asset restoration, completion of distribution projects and recovery of several generation units among the administration’s key achievements.
According to her, NDPHC has recovered about 12 million dollars from cross-border bilateral customers in Togo and other debtors, from an outstanding debt of more than 50 million dollars.
She said the company had also recovered several turbines across its power plants, contributing about 470 MW to the national grid.
However, Adighije identified transmission constraints, low tariffs, inadequate market settlements, gas supply challenges, unpaid debts and vandalism as major challenges affecting the company’s operations.
She said NDPHC had more than 1,500 MW of mechanically available generation capacity but was allocated an hourly dispatch of about 500 MW, resulting in significant suppressed and stranded capacity.
The NDPHC boss estimated that the situation had cost the company more than N300 billion and called for regulatory intervention to review the dispatch merit order.
Adighije also appealed to the committee to intervene in outstanding debts owed NDPHC by electricity market participants, including the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), which she said had accumulated liabilities of more than N400 billion.
She said the company was also seeking the settlement of obligations arising from its assets recognised in the regulated asset base of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
Responding to the presentation, Nwokolo commended the NDPHC management for its efforts to improve electricity generation, describing the company’s work as critical to the entire power value chain.
“We have also been to their power stations. And honestly, they are taking reasonable actions towards making Nigerians access electricity,” he said.
Nwokolo said the success of the power sector depended on the effective performance of generation, transmission and distribution, stressing that a failure in one segment would affect the entire value chain.
“If they don’t generate, there’s nothing to transmit. If they don’t transmit, there’s nothing to distribute. So, I must commend them,” he said.
The lawmaker also commended Adighije for what he described as her proactive approach to managing the company and addressing challenges confronting its power plants.
He cited the Alaoji Power Plant as an example, saying the facility could have faced a worse fate without proactive intervention by the NDPHC management.
Nwokolo assured the company that the legislature would provide necessary support, noting that NDPHC could not resolve all the challenges confronting the power sector on its own.
He said the committee would examine the concerns raised by the company and work with relevant stakeholders to address them.
The committee chairman said the oversight visit was intended to understand the challenges confronting NDPHC and support the company in finding solutions, rather than create an adversarial relationship between lawmakers and the agency.
Nwokolo further commended NDPHC for welcoming the legislative oversight, noting that such visits provided an opportunity for public agencies to demonstrate their achievements, explain their challenges and receive necessary support from the legislature.
COA/ YO
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Edited by Yunus Yusuf
(NAN)